Asphalt is commonly used in the construction and paving of roads. Asphalt is a mixture of aggregate material, such as sand, gravel, and crushed stone, with hot bitumen. The bitumen coats the aggregate material to give the asphalt, which may be spread as a uniform layer upon a road bed and compacted and smoothed with heavy rolling equipment.
Asphalt invariably contains sulfur. The amount of sulfur will depend on the origin of the crude oil, as well as the processes used to refine the crude oil, into asphalt. The sulfur may exist in different forms. For example, sulfur may be in the form of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide, or dihydrogen sulfide, is a chemical compound with the formula H2S. It is a colorless, poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor.
Hydrogen sulfide may be released form asphalt, in particular when the asphalt is heated to a certain temperature. For example, hydrogen sulfide results from the dehydrogenation reactions that occur between bitumen and sulfur at the hot mixing temperatures, e.g. temperatures greater than 140° C. Hydrogen sulfide emissions are regulated. Therefore, there exists a need to reduce the amount of hydrogen sulfide in asphalt. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides for a reduced or low release of hydrogen sulfide during the preparation of asphalt, as well as in the final asphalt material.